#stingray review

[teapotteringabout]

Stingray Ep 1

It's me again, doing those reviews I promised. Episode 1, lets go:

Recently voted in @tv21pollshowdown / @room-on-broom 's Stingray Episode Tournament to be the absolute best of the bunch. Personally I don't agree, but we'll get to my favourites later. That said, you may have noticed I've popped it into Glorious GLORIOUS because it's definitely one of the best, and serves its First Episode job perfectly.

For starters, the start. Literally. It's the dramatic words "Stand by for action!", a literal explosion and Bob on the Battle Bongos earns his paycheque. The rest of the intro theme is trombone and bongo-heavy, very fast, very stirring, and a masterful weaving of two of the main musical motifs we hear throughout the show. It's Barry Gray, baby! You could argue that every episode has this in their favour but for episode 1, I think the theme hits especially hard.

We're also introduced to our main cast: Troy Tempest, Phones, Commander Shore, Atlanta Shore, Marina, X20, Titan and the Aquaphibians. And Fisher! Even Fisher is in episode 1. Good for him.

I do love the WAY some of these characters are introduced. Troy is an aquanaut who has a fascination with the sea (naturally), so we first see him through an aquarium. Phones is the chill one, so here he is, chilling out.

My favourite introduction is probably X20's, the very first non-human character we meet. The shot of the mysterious island, the eerie warble of the strings, the pan to the shuttered window, then BAM IT'S BRITNEY BITCH:

Then we get the precursor to TOS's Operation Cover-Up, only much fancier, and X-20's charming abode turns into charming evil lair.

(the gifs are fast because they were too chonky so I had to cut some frames haha)

It's during this scene that we're first introduced to Titan. Personally I think it's a shame our first look at him is on a black and white screen. You could argue that we still get the full impact of his majesty later, but I think I'd prefer it if we just heard his voice to start with. When we do meet him, he's a great villain, featuring the booming tones of Ray Barrett who 'curls' his voice just enough to differentiate it from Shore's. We meet him with the camera looking up at him, because he only looks down on people, you see. I love his design, particularly the Hellenistic swirls in his beard.

Speaking of Titan, I love how his throneroom isn't the typical evil lair. It was the first UK show to be filmed in colour, so the art team went all-in with bright colours everywhere (also because they were still learning about cinemtographic colour). Why should evil characters lurk in the dark all the time? Be like Titan. Bust out the glitter carpet and the ginormous pearls!

Finally, Marina's introduction. When I first saw her I was blown away by how beautifully-crafted this puppet was. She stands out. No other lady has such long hair, and every episode it's in an intricate coiffure. Pretty much all the other female puppets have a heart-shaped face, while her's is oval. She is an icon, she is the moment.

In terms of plot, it's simple but effective. We're sort of in media res, straight to the point with the aquaphibians blowing shit up, here are your cast, Stingray is attacked and the crew captured. Then we have the beautifully drawn out Trial by Teufel scene.

If Teufel looks away from Troy within a marine minute (about 1 and a half Terranean minutes it would seem), then Troy is guilty of 'crimes against the underwater nations' and will be executed. The timer is a vial of dripping water, coloured red for the camera, and the sound of the drip like the ticking of the clock, combined with the tense string notes makes for a very gripping marine minute. Of course, Troy almost makes it to the end before Teufel turns his back on him at the last moment, thus declaring him guilty.

Cut to the next scene, and Troy, Phones and Marina work together for the first time as a team to escape. The action is swift and effective, but I won't lie, it leaves me wanting more. The aquaphibians seem overtaken very quickly, I demand more blood! Obviously the puppets are limited in their range of movement, but it would have been cool to have a proper Stingray battle in the first episode. That's something that get's rectified in its 'sequel', but we'll get to that.

Finally, everyone's gathered round the Shore dining table (including Fisher!!) and Atlanta realises she's in a love triangle. Thankfully, it's not one that lasts long, but again, we'll get to that.

There's a couple of things in the plot that I don't really understand. When Stingray goes missing and an aerial search turns up nothing, Shore's next move is to nuke that area of the ocean. It never happens thankfully, but aren't there any other submarines that could investigate? You know, considering Stingray is a submarine and might be on the ocean floor? Now, in fairness, according to Stingray: Adventures in Videcolor (Andrew Pixley 2022), in the original version of the script, Shore had a few extra lines were he detailed that this mysterious underwater enemy (Titan) had sunk 5 ships already, killing hundreds (p244). So in his mind, with their ultimate submarine supposedly lost, an all-out retaliatory attack makes more sense. But that's not in the final episode, and I'd rather judge the series on its face value rather than using supplementary material to inform me. This will crop up again in the next one, believe me.

Now we get the first rendition of 'Aqua Marina' in the end credits, which I'm only talking about in this episode 1 review. It's a beautiful song, but it's perhaps the main reason why Troy has this love rat reputation. Oh, he'll have a few instances of 'love rat' behaviour in the episodes for real. But the slideshow of him hanging out with Marina while Atlanta looks wistfully at his photograph is pretty damning, regardless of the actual content of the episode. As we'll discover, most of the series doesn't actually contain the love triangle, with it mostly ending by episode 10 at the latest, but this end credits sequence alone makes you think it lasts all the way. It makes you wonder if there was more planned for the love triangle arc, but it was ultimately done away with?

Over all though, it's a terrific episode. Writing it out now, I realise how good it is so I can see why it won the poll. It's not my favourite, but it's a solid S tier all the same. Glorious, in fact.

[wholesome-sharks]

Odysea Aquarium, Scottsdale AZ

Mom took me and my sister to the Odysea last month for my birthday! Sorry I haven't posted sooner but HERE ARE THE PICS!

This window over the downstairs bathroom sink was officially voted coolest bathroom in the USA (the plaque said 2017, I think). Why? Because it views into the Voyager shark tank. Trevally, other fish, and FIVE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF SHARKS swim past this window and will even go behind the bubble screen while people are washing their hands. I couldn't get a pic of the sandbar shark when it swam by the window bc it went by pretty quick. But this restroom is by the front entrance and it is the perfect appetizer to a gourmet experience.

Also, trevally are HUGE.

Here is the mascot species of the Odysea, a sand tiger/gray nurse/ragged tooth shark. The bubble fountain at the back of the photo hides the bathroom window.

The Sea Trek tank on the upper floor had mostly tropical fish, but it had a zebra shark and A BONNETTHEAD SHARK! SQUEEEEE!!!! Internally crying for joy!!!!

Brown-banded Bamboo Shark in the shark/ray touch aquarium. A couple of times while I was hanging out by this tank I saw it roll onto its side and scratch itself in the sand--I've seen that on video so I jumped whenever I saw it happen. The cownose rays in the touch tanks are absolutely spoiled and swim up to the surface for pets ASAP when they see you approach.

Benthic buddies: here's the brown-banded bamboo shark lying next to the white-spotted bamboo shark.

Magnificent zebra shark in the movie theater tank. The movie theater would play 10-minute videos and then move the screen back up between showings. I think this was probably my favorite tank. There was a second zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) in this tank.

They also had LEOPARD SHARKS (Triakis semifasciata) !!!!!! again, my cup runneth over!

Epaulette sharks in the Great Barrier Reef tunnel. The one laying on the glass was a male and so he was flashing EVERYONE with his claspers (blurry pic--but maybe that's for the better). There was also an epaulette shark in the stingray touch tank.

Got to spend a few moments of shared eye contact with this epaulette shark💖

Back to the Voyager tank. Here is a sandbar shark and the head of a LEMON SHARK. There were at least two lemon sharks in the Voyager tank. It took me a moment to recognize them. The Voyager tanks are kind of dark, and ofc with no natural sunlight the lemon sharks don't get to show off their color properly. Maybe they should change the light fixtures.

Here's a sandbar shark again along with a view of the reef in the Voyager tank. Again, the trevally are ENORMOUS, bigger than the blacktip reef shark (either that, or BTRs are just small). I deliberately avoided taking too many photos and focused more on the experience, so these are just the highlights of the sharks. Also I've seen the giant Amazon rainforest fish before so no need to repeat.

Have some random aquarium denizens:

Aquarium review: They definitely put money and effort into making the aquarium a good home for the animals as well as engaging and educational for visitors. I was able to be up close and personal with the sharks, which was exactly what I wanted. I feel like the rotating Voyager exhibit is a little overrated--the cheesy Holiday-themed narration didn't help. Aquarium staff kept their distance but were helpful when needed. Starbucks on the second floor is nice. Super expensive but definitely worth it. 8 out of 10.

[agentnico]

Sugar - season 1 (2024) review

“Sugar (do do do do do do), oh honey honey (do do do do do do)…..” mind you this song isn’t played in the show but I’m glad I was reminded of this banger.

Plot: Private detective John Sugar investigates the disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the beloved granddaughter of Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel. As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he unearths Siegel family secrets, old and new.

Nicolas Cage recently got confirmed to be cast in Prime’s live-action Spider-Man spin-off series Noir where he’ll be playing the web-swinging PI, and as much as I’m excited to see Cage brood in black-and-white, there’s currently a perfectly enjoyable noir detective series on Apple TV+ that I haven’t heard anyone talk about. Especially due to its flabbergasting mid-season plot twist that is so laughably out-of-left-field that I’m not sure it’s a good or bad thing. But let’s discuss…

Taking inspiration from the likes of LA Confidential and Chinatown, this neo noir show plays as a greatest hits album of all the tropes of the genre. The first two episodes especially are super enjoyable, through Farrell’s narration, to the slow piano music to the use of black-and-white and crisp cinematography, the entire thing just felt like a vibe. A super cool vibe. Naturally Colin Farrell is a perfect casting choice to play the charming private investigator. He’s got that likeable face you feel you can trust, but enough going on in his expression to give him that element of mystery. Also Farrell looks great in a suit. One has to respect a man that can wear a suit well. Ask Barney Stinson. So the first two episodes are truly awesome. The script wasn’t anything groundbreaking, with Farrell’s inner monologues featuring lines you’d easily find in other neo-noir movies/shows, but just as a collective package this thing felt ace in its first two episodes. There’s also this glossy pastiche of old-school movies that are referenced throughout, reflecting John Sugar’s passion for film and the Hollywood setting. However after that the show slows down, with the central mystery of the missing girl stretched out with pointless baggage around it to fulfill the series episode count. Honestly, this would have worked better as a film rather than a series.

Now in regards to the aforementioned plot twist. I haven’t been so snortingly contemptuous of a reveal since that 2019 fishing thriller Serenity starring Matthew McConaughey that pulls of a ‘bait and switch’ times two with its ending that is so ludicrously random and out of nowhere that I recall truly gasping at the cinema. It’s a terrible twist, but also for a movie that otherwise was utterly boring and bad, that narrative shock at least gave me somewhat of a thrill. So with Sugar at the end of episode 6 a certain reveal happens, that in a way completely changes the entire series. Though one could argue there were a couple of clues in earlier episodes that could have somewhat suggested this twist, in reality I do believe this reveal was a bit of a cheat. It’s an unearned way to grab attention and get a “WHAAAA???” reaction out of the audience, and I thought it came off as a cheap shot. Granted though it gave the meandering show a little boost of energy to the end of the season, but felt so out of place. If the reveal happened earlier, then the show would have had more time to play up to its weird premise.

Sugar is very much a series that is carried by its lead performance (and an adorable doggo), and though the beginning of the season was a strong start, it lost its narrative direction shortly after until that baffling twist that again, I can’t decide if it’s good or bad, but I’m leaning more towards the latter. A good twist needs to have the correct appropriate set-up. The twist in Sugar was more like the showrunners going “psyche - gotcha!”

Overall score: 5/10

[gaycarboys]

GMSV Releases Details of C8 Corvette Stingray and Z06

[chaosandmarigolds]

(slowly sets random sting ray plushie I got for my birthday down) Brain-rot. so I present Dad!Simon and Ollie at the aquarium

Simon! Who was currently two weeks deep into babysitting oliver and it being the middle of summer almost everywhere and everything had been exhausted

"Library time with Miss Rue?"

Ollie frowns from his ice cream,- which you would murder simon for if you found out which is why they were both sworn to secrecy, "MIss Rue is jus reeed-ing Peter Bunny again. No want."

"No want." Simon echoed slowly, leaning against the kitchen counter as he tried to think.

"Big mall?" "No..."

"The zipline park?" (A normal park with a little kid zipline)

"No."

"The animals?"

"Nope. Momma said we stinky after animal."

Simon nods again, the local farmer's markets would normally have a little petting zoo- so that had also become a staple. "She did- rightoo laddie. Okay...okay, let Mister Riley think for a minute."

Ollie nods to his babysitters words and takes another hefty bite of the ice cream, "We could....we could see fish? We see fish."

"Fish?"

"We go fish, in-in big pool."

Simon who spent ten finding which aquarium within a fifty mile radius had the best reviews because if he is...might as well make it memorable

Simon who made sure Ollie wore is water proof shoes because...well he just knew the kid was going to jump into the little kiddie water pad the aquarium had

Simon who packed a towel and change of clothes for that exact reason too

Simon who so has baby shark stuck in his head

Simon who once the tickets are purchased is already trying to trick the tyke down, basically playing marco polo

Simon who held up Ollie without a second thought to see the Jelly fish, telling him how he was once stung while he was down in Japan, smiling to the childs laughter

Simon who spends the extra fifteen dollars so Ollie could feed the stingrays, keeping an arm looped around him to keep him stable

Simon who of course notices the looks he's getting from the group of moms, he ignores them though

Simon who tried to politely turn down the one who came up to him, nice woman, seemed kind- yet...she wasn't...you

Simon who had to get more firm and did lie when she wouldn't get the message-

"Listen lady- I could kill ya without even blinking 'n you are really testin my patience so ho' bout you leave me 'n my son alone before i get annoyed?" Just how he assumed it would've gone down the woman became flustered and excused herself, meanwhile, Ollie was still being held in the air to look at the catfish.

Ollie looks to Simon as he then lets out a sigh and adjusts his grip on the boy, "Ister Riley?"

"Yeah, lad?"

"Mommy said killing people isn't nice."

Simon clears this throat, "Mum is real smart like that."

Simon who gets Ollie a plushie and teehsirt

Simon who feels really proud of himself when Ollie is fast asleep for the entire car ride home

(annnnyway thats it<333 any feedback and all that jazz means the world to me!!)

[spryfilm]

DVD review: “Stingray” (1964-1965) 

“Stingray” (1964-1965)  Television Thirty nine Episodes Created by: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Featuring: Ray Barrett, Robert Easton, David Graham, Don Mason and Lois Maxwell Opening Theme: “Stand by for action, we’re about to launch Stingray Stingray StingrayStingray Stingray Marineville i am calling all battle stations, Anything can happen in the next half hour Stingray…

[skeletorrito]

im sorry im just obsessed w this chapter of my teen stsg fluff fic

Sunshine Days - chapter 2

Rating: T

10.7k (total)

The first time Satoru saw Suguru swallow a curse, he gagged. 

“Oh woah that’s so gross!” Satoru commented, both fascinated and disgusted. “You really have to swallow them like that?! Does it hurt?!” 

Satoru was burning with questions. Every week, he had a new question about Suguru’s curse manipulation technique. 

“What do they taste like?” “How many curses do you have in total?” “Do you ever throw them up?” 

Suguru entertained Satoru’s constant curiosity with mild amusement. It didn’t bother him because, well, it was just another excuse to talk to Satoru Gojo. 

They were entering their second year at the academy, and both boys were growing stronger and stronger day by day. Missions were in full swing, and Satoru and Suguru were always the top picks for the most dangerous missions. On day one of the semester, they were already called into Yaga’s office to discuss a mission. 

“Suguru, what’s your favorite curse?” Satoru asked as he lounged in one of Yaga’s office chairs, waiting for their teacher to return from a meeting.

“Hmmm,” Suguru contemplated for a moment. He had about two hundred and fifty curses by this point in his life, but some he used more than others. “Oh, the flying stingray.” He finally replied, nonchalantly.

“Excuse me, did you just say flying stingray?!” Satoru leaned in, his mouth open with surprise and wonder. His eyes sparkled and glittered with curiosity. “Can you ride it?!”

Suguru grinned. “I can.” 

Satoru stood from his chair, probably more excited than he’d ever been in his whole life. “You mean to tell me you’ve been holding out on me this whole time?!” Satoru gripped Suguru’s shoulders and started shaking him, which caused Suguru to chuckle. “Are you serious, Suguru, or are you messing with me?! Because either way, I definitely need to ride that stingray.”

“I’m not sure if it can hold two people, honestly…” Suguru murmured, mulling over the idea for a moment. He started thinking about how he’d even fit Satoru on the stingray with him, Satoru’s long legs would likely need to straddle him while he steered. That visual made him blush slightly. 

“Well, we’re gonna fucking find out!”

“Find out what exactly?” Yaga entered the room, his suspicious, beady eyes darting between the two of them. “Settle down, Satoru. I’ve got a mission for you boys.” 

“Damn, already?” Satoru plopped back down into the chair with a sigh, tipping the legs back dangerously. 

Yaga sat down at his desk silently and opened a manila folder containing the details of the mission. “This one’s across the bay in Chiba, located in a nearby Buddhist temple at the base of Nokogiriyama. Visitors of the temple are being terrorized by whatever cursed spirit is haunting it,” he passed both boys the report to review, “Ijichi will escort you, it’s going to be quite the trip.”

“Oh, no need for an escort, Yaga,” Satoru peered over his sunglasses at Suguru with a wide, wild grin, “We’ve got our own ride.” 

“I don’t know about this, Satoru…” Suguru trailed off, examining his pink stingray curse anxiously. It was small, really small, especially for two teens who were already breaching six feet. He could sit comfortably on it with crossed legs, but he’d never tried having a passenger with him. “What if we’re airborne and it gives out on us?” 

“Oh, c’mon Suguru, have a little faith.” Satoru walked around the stingray, checking it out with delightful inquisitiveness. Its eyes followed Satoru three-hundred-and-sixty degrees around its body, fluttering quietly about a foot off of the ground. Suguru could tell, judging by the boy’s intense stare, that Satoru was figuring out the physics of it in that magnificent brain of his. He finally gave it a gentle pat as he reasoned, “It’ll be like… sharing a bike. You sit in front and steer, and I’ll be behind you and try not to fall off. It’ll totally work.”

Suguru hesitated, hand on his chin as he considered Satoru’s suggestions. Even with their weights combined, they weren’t especially heavy. He was more concerned with being able to fit all of their limbs on the stingray. The thought of Satoru behind him so closely made him break out into a sweat. 

Satoru pushed him towards it, ushering him to get on. “Look, you sit here,” he tapped near the ray’s head. Suguru complied nervously, crossing his legs tight, trying to make himself as small as possible. The stingray dipped slightly but still hovered above the grass. “It’s a little cramped, but… if I squeeze in here…” Satoru then slipped his thin, lanky body behind Suguru, his legs bent and feet resting near the base of the wings. The ray grazed the ground just slightly before rising back up to its original resting place inches above. 

“Yes! See!? I told you it would work!” Satoru exclaimed into Suguru’s ear, totally unbothered as he settled comfortably snuggled against his teammate.

 Suguru’s back went rigid as he felt Satoru’s entire torso pressing against him. He flushed a deep red, feeling incredibly grateful that Satoru couldn’t see his face. “Don’t speak too soon, we haven’t even tried flying yet…” he murmured, setting a hand on the stingray’s head, using cursed energy to start elevating. 

The stingray jolted, nearly sending Satoru tumbling off. He yelped and grabbed Suguru’s waist suddenly for leverage. “Jeez, Suguru, at least give me a warning first!” 

Suguru himself jolted at the warm hands gripping his waist. His face grew hotter, this whole situation making him so flustered. “Sorry,” he replied sheepishly, “Just- just keep holding on, I’m going to try and get us in the air…” 

Satoru clutched him firmly as the ray escalated, slowly but smoothly, off of the ground and into the sky. They just about reached the clouds, high enough so that regular humans would only catch a glimpse of them as a speck darting across the horizon. Suguru knew that Yaga would be furious if he found out about this, they definitely omitted (lied) about this detail of the trip, but it was so hard saying no to Satoru when he flashed those big, beautiful, cyan eyes of his.

“Wooooah,” Satoru gasped in awe, looking around at the clouds with child-like wonder. “This is amazing! I’ve never been this high up before…” He peeked down through his sunglasses for just a moment, watching the earth below grow smaller and smaller. His stomach clenched with anxiety and exhilaration, a wave of adrenaline crashing over him. 

He was fully trusting Suguru Geto with his life in this moment.

And it thrilled him more than it scared him.  

A shy smile spread across Suguru’s lips. He took in a huge breath of relief, closed his eyes, and felt his back push into a firm, anchoring chest. He relaxed into the touch, his creeping guilt and shame dissipating as he just… let it all blow away with the wind whipping in his face. 

It wasn’t lost on him how incredibly intimate this felt, just the two of them in the swirling pink and orange sky, surrounded by fluffy clouds, the sun shining on their faces in the brisk, early morning. 

He peeked behind him and beamed at the expression on Satoru Gojo’s face, how stunning he looked, with his brilliantly white hair and his perfect eyes reflecting the sunrise sky, his easy grin taking in the beauty of everything around them. 

He looked like pure sunshine. 

It hurt deep within Suguru’s chest how badly he wanted to kiss Satoru. 

Right there, in the rosy sky.

It was an overwhelming, lovesick ache he’d never experienced until just now.

“Are you ready?” Suguru asked, his mauve eyes darting down for a beat to glance at Satoru’s soft lips.  

Satoru caught his stare, searching Suguru’s face for words left unspoken. His hands reached out, long arms hugging around Suguru’s middle and squeezing tight. 

He replied, softly, genuinely, “Yes. I trust you, Suguru.”  

Suguru took off, at full speed, skating across the clouds.

They beat Ichiji by a whole fifteen minutes. 

Still totally worth it. 

Satoru and Suguru peered up at the massive temple in awe, the towering, wide-flared roofs glinting with accents of pure gold under the veil Ichiji set. As soon as they stepped foot on the grounds, they felt a rumbling below their feet. 

The aura suddenly thickened, settling on both of them like a shift in gravity. 

This had to be a special-grade curse. 

The pair looked at each other, silent and wide-eyed, as the steps leading up to the temple continued to vibrate with each stair they climbed. Whatever cursed spirit was in that temple sensed them and it was furious. 

They split, Suguru peeling off to the side of the temple to check for another entrance. Satoru was more of the head-on, confrontational type, anyway. He swung the large, embellished doors wide open. 

He was immediately faced with an opalescent, serpent-like dragon twisting itself around a temple pillar. The curse stretched at least a hundred feet long as it spiraled up to the ceiling. Its angry roar shook the entire temple as it witnessed Satoru’s presence, yellow eyes spinning angrily, locking on and preparing to swoop in for an attack.

 “Suguruuuu, I think I found a new Pokémon for you to catch,” Satoru sang, his Infinity blocking the creature’s first attack. He still felt the quake of the curse’s impact under his feet. This thing was clearly powerful and sturdy. The barrier only made the rainbow dragon angrier, the rebound slamming its body into the temple walls. It screeched an ear-curdling scream, the entire infrastructure rattling. 

“Let’s make this quick before the whole place goes down,” Suguru appeared from behind the temple’s gigantic Buddha statue and summoned his ginormous hookworm curse from underneath. It shot up, managing to rake off a few shiny scales with its teeth, but the dragon was too fast and its skin too hardy. It slid through the hookworm’s grasp easily and ascended to safety. 

Both boys gasped, watching in amazement as the dragon circled around the temple’s tall ceiling, evading Suguru’s curse attacks with grace and precision. 

“Oh hell yeah, this thing is awesome!” Satoru exclaimed as he strolled to the middle of the temple floor. His neck craned upward as he slipped off his sunglasses and tucked them on his head. He examined the curse with a wide grin, taking in every detail of this terrifying cursed spirit with no fear. The dragon was too smart to strike again and risk rebounding; it instead seemed to focus on gaining distance and defending its birthplace by staying close to the perimeter. Unlike most cursed spirits, this appeared to act like a wild, territorial animal, protecting the temple and scaring off any man who dared to enter. 

Satoru glanced over to Suguru, who was already standing above black pools of tentacle-like curses, as he commented, “We’re totally riding this one home, Suguru.” 

Suguru smirked, replying, “Yaga’s gonna kill us if he finds out.” 

He locked eyes with Satoru, confirming the plan of attack. They weren’t telepathic, by any means, but in battle together they were two pages out of the same book. After countless missions together, fighting side-by-side for all of them, one always knew what the other was thinking. 

“Nah, he won’t. We’re the strongest they got.” Satoru smirked back, giving Suguru a playful wink. 

Together, they moved in sync. Suguru commanded the numerous cursed tentacles to stretch into the air as Satoru used Blue to pull the cursed spirit toward them. It strained as it fought against the gravitational pull, thrashing and digging its claws into the temple walls, until Suguru’s tentacles were within reach to bind it. Suguru anchored himself to the floor using his curse, bracing himself against the insurmountable power of Satoru’s technique. His arm stretched out, ready to absorb the cursed spirit, swirling energy on his palm. The dragon shrieked again, echoing through the temple. It was inches away from his grasp. “Almost!” he shouted against the whipping winds of Blue. 

The back wall of the temple collapsed in suddenly. Satoru took a quick step in front of his teammate to block the flying debris using his Infinity, doing his best to extend it as wide and as flat as he could like an impenetrable shield. He poured all of his cursed energy into dragging the heavy, writhing dragon down and protecting them, sweat flicking off his brow. Suguru was behind, exerting as much energy as he could muster into his curses and his absorption. 

Just a few more seconds… Just a few more inches…

Until everything clicked into place. 

“Got it!” Suguru shouted out. The beast roared violently as it started disintegrating, breaking off piece by piece and joining the whirlpool of energy on Suguru’s palm. Satoru held Blue until the entire curse was contained into a stormy globe. He dropped everything, debris and shards of wall finally falling to the floor with a few seconds delay. 

“Holy shit that thing felt like it was made of lead!” Satoru exclaimed as he collapsed on an unscathed meditation bench. He was exhausted, his energy depleted significantly after the battle. Releasing a heavy sigh, he brought his sunglasses to his eyes as he lounged across the bench.

“I know, right?” Suguru agreed, “Makes you wonder how it was formed in the first place…” Suguru examined the curse ball in his palm before shoving it in his mouth, wincing at the taste as he swallowed it whole. He plopped onto the bench alongside Satoru, slumping and leaning his hand on his chin. “I might need a break to summon it, I’m exhausted.” 

 Satoru comically scooted himself down the length of the bench until he was resting his head on Suguru’s thigh. “Play with my hair while I nap,” he requested in a murmur. 

Suguru laughed, shooting an incredulous look at his friend. “Are you joking?” Satoru peered up at Suguru over his sunglasses. Oh, no, he’s serious. Suguru started, carefully, “Satoru… isn’t that a little-” 

“What, best friends can’t play with each other’s hair?” Satoru defended, a small flush spreading across his cheeks, “We clearly need some rest and we’ve got time to kill before we ride back.” 

Satoru flashed his big, blue, puppy-dog eyes, not that Suguru needed much convincing anyway, and Suguru sighed. “Fine, fine. Such a princess…” he muttered. He gingerly threaded his fingers into Satoru’s fluffy, snowy white hair, so soft and thick.

Satoru was immediately transported back to his childhood when his many nannies would stroke his hair to coax him to sleep. It was so soothing and nostalgic to feel Suguru pet his head like this. “Just gimme like… fifteen minutes, okay?” He said with a hum, eyes closing contentedly as Suguru’s fingers grazed his scalp. Satoru was out in a matter of minutes, easily slipping into slumber on his trusted friend’s lap.

Suguru could have easily spent hours like this, spending an equal amount of time watching Satoru sleep peacefully and admiring the vast temple they were in. As he mindlessly stroked, he finally had a chance to take a good look around. Even with the rubble and destruction, it was gorgeous. The walls stretched on and on, accented with rich reds and glinting gold murals of Siddhartha Gautama and his journey to enlightenment. Miraculously, the giant, gold Buddha statue still stood tall behind the collapsed wall. He closed his eyes, focusing on steadying his breath and nothing else in the world besides his hand in Satoru Gojo's hair.

 

Satoru finally stirred from his slumber nearly an hour later. Suguru was still in the same position as before, losing track of time as he meditated with his fingers in Satoru’s hair. Satoru let out a big yawn, sitting up and stretching. “Damn, I needed that. How long was I out?” 

“An hour, I think.”

“An hour !? You could have woke me up! What the hell were you doing for an hour?” 

Suguru shrugged, “Meditating.” Satoru gave him a deadpan expression. “Oh, I got rid of Ichiji, too. He thinks we’re taking the train home tonight,” he added, smirking. To avoid raising suspicion, Suguru called Ichiji not long after Satoru fell asleep to sweet-talk him into leaving. According to Suguru, they were going to “sight-see” in the area since the mission wrapped up so quickly and they’d take the train back to Tokyo tonight. Ichiji bought this lie immediately and reported back to the academy. Suguru’s curse manipulation technique always fell second to his ability to talk himself out of a situation, his charisma and charm its own jujutsu entirely. 

Satoru laughed and smiled, “Nice! Now we have the whole day to chill.” He turned towards his teammate. “Alright, Suguru, it’s your turn.” 

“Huh?”

Satoru patted his lap as he clarified, “I’m not greedy, I’ll return the favor.” 

Suguru eyebrows knitted together. “I don’t really nap well, you know that.” Though he’d be lying if he said didn’t think about Satoru stroking his hair. 

“Well, that’s because you’ve never had Satoru Gojo playing with your hair. C’mon, just lay down. If you fall asleep, awesome, and if you don’t, you still get to relax.” 

Suguru smiled, conceding and resting his head on Satoru’s thigh. He blushed, his gaze resting on the temple ceiling. Were his daydreams of romantic moments, such as these, with Satoru Gojo finally coming to fruition? His shallow crush only deepened over the time they grew close, but never once did he expect it could be reciprocated. 

At least, not until today. 

“It sounds like you just want an excuse to play with my hair,” he teased. 

“Well, you do have great hair, Suguru,” Satoru replied with a grin as he pulled the elastic from Suguru’s bun, allowing his charcoal hair to spill onto Satoru’s lap. “It’s getting long!” He pulled his fingers through to splay its full length. 

Suguru’s eyes fluttered closed as he commented, “Thank you. I’m letting it grow out.” Satoru wasn’t lying, it was extremely soothing having Satoru run his fingers through his hair. He fell silent, a small smile spreading across his face. 

It had been over a year of Satoru secretly longing to touch Suguru’s hair again. The time Suguru spent the night in his dorm, and his curiosity got the better of him, nearly changed his life. He couldn’t stop obsessing over it, his fingers itching every time he saw Suguru fix his bun. It was still so silky and beautiful as it fell through his fingers. For having such an excitable personality, he had a surprisingly gentle touch as he caressed Suguru’s locks.

“I admit, this is nice…” Suguru practically purred, sighing happily. He was definitely growing sleepy, allowing himself to let go and lean into the feeling of Satoru playing with his hair. 

“See? Now go to sleep.” 

Suguru did end up drifting off, but only for about thirty minutes. He awoke to two luminescent, ocean eyes staring right at him and jolted. “Jeez, Satoru, you scared the shit out of me.” He moved to sit up, but Satoru’s fingers were still tightly entwined in his hair. 

“Oh, sorry,” Satoru replied sheepishly, flushing and looking away. He pulled his hand back quickly so his friend could get up. 

Suguru stood and stretched his arms and back. He felt better, a lot better actually, his energy replenished. “I guess we can go, I can summon the- hey, where’s my hair tie?”

“Oh I lost it, sorry.” 

He lied. It was in Satoru’s pocket.

Suguru squinted at him, giving him a scrutinizing look. “You’re lying.” 

“Swear I’m not.” Satoru lifted his hands as if he was being interrogated by the police. 

“Guess we need to call Ichiji, then…” Suguru started with a mock sad tone, pouting and grabbing his phone from his pocket. “It’s not safe to fly with hair in my face.” He opened the phone, his thumb over the call button. 

Satoru groaned and rolled his eyes, shoving a hand in his pocket. “Oh, look at that, I found it. Oops, my bad,” he said sarcastically and flicked it over to Suguru. 

Suguru rolled his eyes back, muttering “Idiot” under his breath, and quickly tied his hair up in a tight bun. He strolled outside of the temple to find an open space to summon his new curse and Satoru trailed along. 

The rainbow dragon appeared out of a swirling mass of black energy, resting docilely on the grass near the temple. He was monstrously large up close, the top of his head alone big enough for both boys to lay down and spread out. Along its head and back was a soft mane. 

“This is such an upgrade!” Satoru exclaimed excitedly, placing his hand on the beast’s nose. It snorted, the dragon’s hot breath falling fluttering his hair. It still amazed him to see a once fearsome, aggressive enemy suddenly become Suguru’s house pet. His best friend had an amazing technique, there was no denying it. 

They clambered up onto the massive dragon, settling on the beast’s head in the middle of its horns. It certainly was an upgrade, the beast’s fluffy mane was comfortable and easy to grip onto. They were able to sit side-by-side. Suguru locked eyes with Satoru before placing a hand on the dragon. “Let’s go,” he commanded. It darted off faster and smoother than the stingray. Being in the sky with the beast felt like floating on a cloud, soft fur cushioning their legs as they soared. 

They weaved through clouds, dipped down to skate just above the ocean, and twisted around the entire island for hours. The pair rode around on the majestic dragon like it was a personal rollercoaster. Their cheeks started hurting from how much they were smiling, laughing, and screaming.

The pair lay on the rainbow dragon’s mane, side by side, staring up at the stars together. They hovered just outside of the academy grounds, the night sky clearing of clouds just in time for stargazing. 

“I think… yeah, this is definitely the best day of my life so far,” Satoru commented, a lazy grin on his face. 

Suguru looked over at him, admiring how his eyes reflected the night sky, creating two murky blue galaxies. “Oh yeah? Me too," he agreed with a smile.

“Besides that day you showed up to my door totally trashed, of course,” Satoru added with a laugh, sticking his tongue out.

Suguru pouted playfully, “Hey, ruin the moment, much?!” He laughed and gave Satoru a little shove, adding, “I must have really embarrassed myself then. I still don’t even remember anything. What did I even do?”

Satoru flushed a little. Unlike Suguru, his memory of that day was vividly clear. It altered his brain chemistry permanently and gained him his first best friend, too. “Oh, you were just being you, but more… silly, I guess. You gave me those sick sunglasses, too.” 

Suguru beamed, replying, “I’m glad you like them, Satoru. They really suit you.” 

Satoru’s flush deepened. He was thankful it was dark (and also for Suguru's normal eyes). He stretched out his arms, his hand grazing his friend’s gently. Heart hammering in his throat, he reached out a little more, clasping his hand around Suguru’s. 

Suguru looked down, then up at Satoru with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. He froze for a moment, then softened, his fingers gently slipping between Satoru’s. They lay silently for minutes, staring up at the stars with faces blushing, hearts racing, and fingers intertwining. 

They’re both thinking the same exact thoughts, fighting and struggling against the same exact bubbling embarrassment and shame keeping them from what they truly, desperately wanted and needed. 

I really want to kiss you.                       

                                          I really want you to kiss me. 

Finally, Suguru broke the silence, “Is this… something best friends do, Satoru?” 

Satoru took a quiet minute, swallowing nervously. How was Suguru the only person to make him feel anxious, out of everyone else in the world?

He looked at Suguru, a lovesick ache in his throat as he said, “Yeah. I like it.” 

Suguru smiled coyly in response. He squeezed his hand gently. 

“I like it too.”

Loveee these boys

Here's the rest:

[firstaidspray]

Baldur's Gate 3 Characters and What They Drive

My brother and I discussed this yesterday after he sent me a tweet that was like "what if an orc drove an F-150" or something like that. It turned into a pretty big discussion and resulted in this, images picked by me and peer reviewed by him. These were all the characters I could think of offhand, but if you have any requests or suggestions reply or send me an ask!!

Karlach: Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye

A badass hell-themed ride for a badass lady from Hell. Maybe that engine in her heart is a Hellcat...

Gale: Aston Martin DB11 Convertible

Gale is my brother's man so he made this decision, stating "Gale is a man of taste." A convertible for his hair to flow in the wind, obviously.

Shadowheart: Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Shadowheart gives major gwagon vibes. Can't you see her driving this, window half down, and she tips her designer sunglasses down to give you a look?

Astarion: Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud

Take one look at this man and his whole aesthetic and tell me he doesn't drive a Rolls-Royce. This is a vampire car.

Lae'zel: Triumph Street Scrambler

Our first motorcycle on the list, we thought Lae'zel would favor it over a car. You can't see her as anything other than a biker chick, can you?

Wyll: GMC Sierra

Wyll comes from money, yes, but I think he'd want to work hard to afford his own car, and it'd be something practical and utilitarian, and likely a used older model. Humbling yet fitting.

Raphael: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

I suggested Corvette for Raph and my brother agreed, citing "he has midlife crisis energy (affectionate)" as the reason. And he's right. List of Raphael's midlife crisis things to do: 1. Buy Corvette 2. Cause problems.

Minthara: Ducati SuperSport 950

Another girl I could only see on a bike. A Ducati specifically, as its sleek design fits her and the personal, independent nature of a motorcycle does as well.

Mizora: Cadillac Escalade

Mizora doesn't drive herself in it, but she would like to be driven around in an Escalade. A model that's not too new but not too old for the sake of iconic looks, but she'd probably get it detailed regularly.

BONUS

Halsin and Jaheira: Walking (for the environment)

They don't judge their friends for driving cars, but Halsin and Jaheira prefer to use the mode of transportation the Gods gave them. For the Earth, yaknow.

[tac-the-unseen]

💫About The Creator💫

General:

Name: Tac-the-Unseen (Tac)

Age: 18

Gender: Non-Binary (They, Them, Theirs)

Sexuality: AroAce 🧡💛🤍🩵💙

Nationality: 'Merica 🇺🇲🦅🦅🦅🎸🎸

Religion: Born and Raised Pagan 🪄🕯️🔮

Time writing: 9 years total

Star signs: 🌞 Pisces, 🌝 Capricorn, ⬆️ Pisces

MBTI: ENTP

More specific:

Favorite type of Music: Mostly Metal and early 00's-00's pop

Favorite genre of movie: Definitely Horror, no contest

Favorite song: Poetic Edda - Disembodied tyrant & Synestia

Favorite Movie(s): I know i just said my favorite genre is horror, but my favorite movie is 1951's Alice in wonderland

Favorite Characters: Cheshire Cat (AIW), David (TLB), Marceline/Marshall Lee (AT), Bill Cipher (GF), Elvira (E:MOTD), Severus Snape (HP), The Hex Girls (SD), I got more but that's a long list

Favorite Band/Artist: Limp Bizkit, SlipKnot, Korn, Type O Negative, Rammstein, Sleep Token, Ghost, Ayesha Erotica, MSI, In this Moment, Lamb of God, Murder dolls, Seether, HELLYEAH, JinJer, + more (I take music seriously lmao)

Favorite Animals: Stingrays, Sharks, Cats, Any Reptile, Skunks, Jaguars, Leopards, probably more

Backstory Stuff:

(I'll just highlight the general Ideas)

I started writing as a Child and just didn't stop. I loved making short stories and yapping about them to my (Poor) Teachers (I'm so sorry😞).

It was the one thing I wasn't being made fun of, so that just filled me with determination. (A few bullies stopped being mean to me after reading my Stories in the 5th grade.) (We weren't friends but they just said sorry and moved on)

Anyway at 12 I started Posting my works (that username is going to hell with me 🔪🩸). My first ever book currently has 17k views.

Now I'm here, Looking to widen my Audience!

Random Trivia:

• On my AO3 account, my most popular book has 24k views :D

• Counting both ears, I have 9 piercings

• I have 5 cats, 2 Dogs, 3 Rats, a bearded dragon, a Crested gecko, and a jumping spider

• I Love Clowns (It's an obsession)

• My Favorite Book is 'Every You, Every Me' by David Leviathan, And it has zero fandom 😭😭😭 (seriously the only thing online about it is reviews) (plz read it 🙏)

I'll update this time to time, maybe ¯⁠\��_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[pinnakoladda]

kiyos music related funfacts

starting with visual kei, their favourite visual kei subgenres are tanbi kei, angura kei, menhera kei and neo visual shock. although they like oshare kei a lot!

their fav vkei artists are ErecSia, Közi, Malice Mizer, the GazettE, Kaya, DADAROMA, gulu gulu, D'espairsRay, Femme Fatale, KAMIJO, LAREINE, Plastic Tree, Versailles, Ali Project, VAMPIRE ROSE, David, Unlucky Morpheus, Scarlet Valse, An Cafe

WHICH IS WHY THEY LOVE MUSICAL THEATRE AND OPERA SO MUCH. because tanbi kei is very theatrical and reminds them of it!

fav music genres that are not vkei are obviously gothic rock, darkwave, deathrock, corrosion, coldwave, new wave, post punk, but also melodic metalcore, psychodelic rock, psychedelic metal, kpop and kawaii metal :3

LEAST FAV ON THE OTHER HAND ARE BLACK METAL!!! AND DSBM!!!! they hate it. trap as well. not the biggest fan of rap either. same goes for rockabilly, rock & roll, psychedelic pop, country, blues. its just not their vibe and mostly seems boring

yes, they are very active on last.fm, rateyourmusic and other music forums. reviewed probably more than 500 albums there

first drum kit was premier revolution 20” - great drum set for the beginners, good for performing a variety of musical styles. 10yo kiyoshi didnt need anything better as they still were not sure if theyll like it + only played songs covers

on the other hand they got their first bass after 1,5 year of playing drums and they were committed to the bit. so they started with sterling by music man stingray ray4. obviously they saved money for better drum set later

DREAM BASS IS DAISY ROCK STAR SHAPED BASS!!!!

they have yt channel and post covers there, but its not connected to anything else they post. so its like if you didnt know how their room looks, you wouldnt know its their account, cause they never show face on videos, dont say a word (so recognizing them by voice is also impossible) and have different username on every single social media

first song learned on drums was gardenia by malice mizer, while first song on bass was risley circus by dadaroma

[teapotteringabout]

Stingray - Ep 2 Plant of Doom

So now we go from the brilliant pilot to the ok second episode. In my opinion. It’s actually a strange juxtaposition of pretty good and what the actual hell that cancel each other out. After writing this review out several times I think the best way to present my thoughts is to copy Jack Knoll and follow the episode’s plot rather than separate my review into categories. As a result, this is chonky, meaty, big fat one so strap in.

Over to Titan. He’s brooding as he often does in the series. He asks Teufel for divine guidance, to which Teufel uses his glowing mouth powers to make a nearby plant to omit a poisonous gas.

Just like the Hood in Thunderbirds, Teufel’s powers are never explained. At least the Hood used his several times, while Teufel will only show them this one time. It’s as much a shame as it is baffling – if Titan has this fish god that can make an innocuous plant deadly poisonous, why doesn’t he use him more often? We’ll see later how often X20 is able to slip into Marineville; why not give him a whole greenhouse worth of plants to put them around the base?

Anyway, it’s very amusing to me that Titan is nearly killed during this display, and that he takes it as a sign to use the plant to kill Marina and friends, rather than to get Teufel a bigger fish tank.

Oh, and you defeat the plant by knocking it onto the floor?

Look at the little shell plate it's on! The tiny details in this show are just *chef's kiss*

Over in Marineville, Marina is sad and glittering and ethereal and sad.

I quite like the scene that transpires for several reasons: first, the way Troy talks to Marina like she’s a child, or a scared animal. Note he never does this with Atlanta, suggesting that he might subconsciously see her as his equal. Second, that it’s Phones who works out that Marina’s homesick for Pacifica. I think it’s often overlooked that he’s usually the one to spot her reactions, or figure out her meaning. He has the patience that Troy lacks to take the time to read her.

Thirdly, the puppetry of Marina. The puppeteers were something like 4 metres above the set, so subtle movements such as the slight tilt of Marina’s head had to take the smallest, daintiest pulls on the strings.

Anyway, Troy asks Shore if they can take Marina to Pacifica, and when Shore states that they'll need a better excuse than a "pleasure cruise", Troy provides the excuse that exploring a new underwater city is of WASP interest. Shore then has an interesting line in “the explanation will take care of HQ. Let’s hope it satisfies Atlanta. Somehow I have my doubts.” According to Jack Knoll, in the original script this scene had more to it and Atlanta’s jealousy would have been much more apparent. Either way, Shore seems to be firing a warning shot. Troy’s two-timing is rather infamous, and this is one of the in-show instances that don’t help.

Aboard Stingray, Marina apparently knows where her home is by looking at a map which I personally find hard to buy. Because it’s not on eBay. But also because Marina can read Terranean maps of the ocean floor. You could argue that she’s learnt some things during her time in Marineville, or the ocean races use similar maps, but I counter with that a) she’s only been there a short while and b) it’s not the most convincing worldbuilding having your underwater race use largely the same stuff as humans despite having no contact with them.

As it happens, X20 is also on his way to Pacifica. Having spotted Stingray on his radar and (somehow) worked out that its on its way to Pacifica, he is tasked by Titan to deliver the toxic plant to Aphony, Pacifica’s leader and Marina’s father, under the guise that he’s well-wisher bringing news of Marina’s homecoming. X20 is accompanied by some Mechanical Fish which I will now refer to as their comic name Terror Fish because it’s easier to type, and I love that X20’s craft has Colonel White’s control desk inside.

A battle between Terror Fish and Stingray ensues, not least because they need to slow Stingray down so X20 can get to Pacifica first. It’s perhaps the only time we hear calm, soft-spoken Phones properly yell, as he alerts Troy to the surprise missile attack.

This is also when we get this awesome dolphin leap sequence:

Fun fact, apparently it took only one take to do!

X20 delivers the plant to Aphony. I love the design of Aphony and Pacifica in general. Its main building is a shell skyscraper, softer shapes compared to the Mysteron-complex-esque Titanica, making it more feminine I suppose? Simply put, you can tell right away that it’s Marina’s home. Inside, it’s quite Hellenistic, and as Troy notes, apparently a cultural epicentre. Pacifica are peaceful don’t you know. They seem to have an affinity for the arts, especially music as we learn in a later episode. Though they’re telepathic, we don’t know entirely how it works but it stands to reason that art is very important to them as way of expression, especially to those who can’t hear their thoughts.

When Stingray makes it to Pacifica, having exploded the first of many Terror Fish this series, we get this wonderful variation of Aqua Marina. The key and some of the notes have changed, making it recognisable yet different. Barry Gray was an absolute GeniusTM. This won’t be the last time I gush about him.

Marina reunites with her father, and it’s very subdued and I suppose quite befitting of prim and proper royalty. We see how their telepathy works – they wave their arms apparently as a way to transmit their thoughts to each other. We realise now that Marina tried to do this to Troy and the gang earlier on, which is just such a sweet little detail.

There’s a feast, I’m sure it looks delicious to all you seafood lovers out there but if I went to Pacifica I’d probably have to bring my own sandwiches.

The cast enjoy the flower X20 brought earlier, still encased in its tennis ball tube. Luckily, and because plot, Marina puts the casing back over it before the fumes escape. To be fair, Troy notes a strong aroma so it’s very likely it was kept encased so its scent didn’t overwhelm people.

At first it seems that Marina has decided to refuse Troy’s offer of returning to Marineville with them and assist in the fight against Titan. Troy is reluctant to leave without her and Phones, ever the voice of reason, simply points out if she wants to come, she’ll follow.

I couldn't get a good screenshot of it but in the Bluray, Aphony appears to be crying too which is interesting.

You can’t ignore the romantic undertones here. Marina is crying. Troy gazes wistfully at her and when he leaves, he’s frowning. And when she does go after them (apparently she can swim as fast as Stingray, presumably on its lowest speed), the pure elation in Don Mason’s voice is very sweet, but also, Troy, calm down bruh…

Back at the lounge, Troy recounts the events to Atlanta, who’s still frosty. She admonishes Marina for “abandoning her father” and accuses her of being a spy for Titan. It’s not very nice and though Atlanta has every reason to think this – after all, Marina’s a mute girl from the sea belonging to a whole world of civilisations they never knew existed – but it’s also quite clear that she’s trying to push her off Troy’s pedestal. God, I’m so glad the love triangle doesn’t survive for too long…

Despite all that, this is the start of what will be an excellent showcase of Atlanta’s character, and crucially so when you watch it in production order.  I remember when I first watched through Stingray, I thought that Atlanta was going to be the bitch of the show, and so far this episode seems to confirm that. Which is why it’s such a travesty how ITC scrambled up the running order for broadcast, putting what they deemed the stronger episodes earlier and pushing the weaker ones further back. Thusly, ‘Plant of Doom’ was broadcast at number 20 rather than number 2 (second in broadcast order is 'Emergency Marineville'). While I agree Plant of Doom lacks in some ways, putting it at any other than episode 2 completely ruins the continuation of the pilot’s story and Atlanta’s character arc. In broadcast order, Atlanta literally goes from being Marina’s bestie to accusing her of being a spy without any context or reasoning.

Anyway, Marina’s a sweetheart because she’s brought the flower with her from Pacifica and, presents it to Atlanta. Earlier, X20 claimed to Aphony that it was a symbol of peace and good fortune, so Aphony likely told her about it and she thought it would make the perfect peace offering. I do love that Atlanta is very touched despite her feelings earlier.

Alone at her piano in her ballgown(?) later that evening, the tennisball tube is whipped off and the dry ice fumigates. I can only assume the smoke is just a visual aid for us viewers so we know the toxicity has been released, because Atlanta doesn’t notice. As Jack Knoll rightly points out in his review, it would have made more sense to have the plant on a table behind Atlanta.

Smoke aside, now might be a good time to mention that every time the plant is uncovered, there’s a haunting 8 note motif played by a flute and harp, accompanied by a blast of trombones every few bars. It’s a fantastic piece of music that really drives amps up the tension and we’ll hear it again throughout the series.

It's called Plant of Doom - A Flower to Take Your Breath Away.

Finally, Atlanta passes out. Luckily, Troy has popped round for a date, bringing a bouquet of his own. At this point I really disliked Troy because on the one hand he was pining for Marina, and on the other he’s clearly pursuing Atlanta. For those who watched the broadcast order, especially back in the 60s, it’s obvious how Troy came to be perceived as massive love rat.

Troy rings the doorbell literally twice and is like “she’s ignoring me ☹”. It looks bad but once again it’s a victim of script trimming, in that originally Troy was meant to be stuck in the tower and had tried calling Atlanta to let her know he would be late for their date, but didn’t receive any response. But going off face value, once again Troy doesn’t look great.

Anyway, Troy breaks the door down and Saves the DayTM in a feat of brilliant puppetry.

The gang minus Marina (and Fisher ☹) smell something fishy’s afoot. And I don’t mean Marina’s flippers. Shore is outraged, Phones is baffled, Troy is in denial and Atlanta… seems genuinely sad. She says with almost forced chipper, “Marina must hate me pretty bad to do this…” She’s a hot-blooded enough character to angrily denounce Marina for attempting to kill her, but she doesn’t.

Ok, so from here on out the episode really falls apart. Because Dashing Hero Troy Tempest is so convinced of Marina’s innocence that he’d be willing to kill her for it.

The Spanish Inquisition called; they want their witch trials back.

I really don’t like how childlike Troy’s line delivery is here. Yes, Stingray is a children’s show but this is quite innocent and infantile for Troy.

So, trial by Plant of Doom ensues. There’s a beautifully sweet moment of Marina discovering the piano and tentatively playing it. Look at the puppetry. Look at how she reacts to the sound, wondering How’d I do that? And then she clink-clonks away, having fun with this thing she’s never seen before.

The gang watch her from… behind some glass. Great hiding place, 10/10.

As the fumes get to her, she slows down, clearly suffering. And here we get the completion of Atlanta’s character arc and making her a certified babe – she begs the lads to stop the madness, and is heartbroken when Marina finally collapses. She comforts Marina once she’s brought back round and it’s she along with Phones and Shore who apologise to her. Not Troy though. He might have believed in her innocence but this was all his idea.

Troy continues to spiral into unlikability this ep with his final quip, Marina’s piano-playing is terrible. Will you teach her to play properly, Atlanta? I know it’s the cheesy 60’s quip to end on but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Like dude, this was your idea. You nearly killed Marina, you don’t apologise for it – Atlanta does – and you joke about her piano playing.

To sum up, this is an episode of two halves. On the one hand, you have the amazing puppetry, you have Pacifica, you have the kick-ass dolphin leap shot, you have the really cute scene of Marina messing about with the piano. Most of all, you have Atlanta. Like I said earlier, when I first watched this, I’d pegged her as the Bitchy One of the group. I really thought she’d belittle Marina and try to sabotage whatever relationship she had with Troy, because unfortunately that’s how it tends to go in many stories today. But Atlanta isn’t a bitch at all. After this, she and Marina are sisters, they’re besties, they’re wonderful, they should run away together.

On the other hand though, you have a bit of a lacklustre plot by Stingray terms made worse by Marina's "trial by death plant", Teufel’s random powers popping up never to be seen again, and Troy pretty much at his worst. ‘Plant of Doom’ is never one of those episodes I don't really think of much, and all these components together make it just an ok episode for me. That said, as we’ll discover, this will rank on the higher end of the Adequaphibian scale.

If you like Atlanta, watch this space because next week her awesomeness continues in ‘Sea of Oil’.

[kidfirstphone]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞

Big tech companies like Google and Facebook constantly profile their users to sell personalized advertisements and influence decisions using both soft and hard power. Soft power involves subtle methods to convince users to act in ways that benefit the company, while hard power refers to tech companies imposing their will despite resistance (e.g., tracking your location despite opting out). These companies hook users to their apps and services, making it easy to spend hours on platforms like Facebook without intending to.

Google’s AdWords and AdSense initiatives, combined with DoubleClick’s capabilities, initiated the surveillance economy. They enable Google to follow users almost everywhere online, even if they don’t interact with any ads. Tech companies employ various strategies to keep you under constant surveillance, such as:

Data Collection: Google collects and analyzes your search queries, browser history, location data, device information, cookies, email contents, app usage, voice and audio recordings, YouTube history, and social media posts. This data is used to sell personalized ads and is often shared with third-party companies.

Ultrasound Beacons: In a bookstore, music could send ultrasound beacons to your phone, identifying it and tracking your interests and purchases.

Smart Devices: A Samsung smart TV, for instance, is connected to over 700 distinct internet addresses within fifteen minutes of use.

IMSI-Catchers: Also known as stingrays, these fake cell phone towers trick mobile phones into connecting to them.

Wi-Fi Tracking: Stores can identify returning shoppers through their Wi-Fi signals.

To protect children from such surveillance and its potential harms, consider the following steps:

Educate and Communicate: Teach children about online privacy, the dangers of oversharing, and the tactics used by big tech companies.

Use Privacy-Focused Tools: Opt for search engines, browsers, and apps that prioritize privacy, like DuckDuckGo for search and Brave for browsing.

Set Up Parental Controls: Utilize the parental control features available on devices and apps to limit exposure to inappropriate content and track online activity. https://www.kidfirstphone.com/ is the best parental control available for free

Limit Screen Time: Encourage offline activities and set boundaries for online usage to prevent addiction. https://www.kidfirstphone.com/ provides lots of control to reduce screen time.

Regularly Review Privacy Settings: Periodically check and adjust privacy settings on all devices and platforms your child uses.

Monitor and Discuss: Keep an open line of communication with your children about their online experiences and regularly monitor their activity for any signs of trouble.

Implementing these measures can help safeguard children from the invasive practices of big tech companies and promote healthier, safer online habits.

Kid First Phone is constantly updating and creating new ways to keep kids safe on the internet. To learn more, check out our website at Kid First Phone. https://www.kidfirstphone.com/

#KidFirstPhone#ParentalControl#ChildSafety#DigitalWellbeing #FamilyTech#KidsTech #SafeTech #ParentingTips #ScreenTimeControl #ParentalGuidance #locationtracking #SmartParenting#OnlineSafety#DigitalParenting#SecureTech #KidsSmartphone #TechSolutions #ParentalMonitoring#MobileSafety#FamilyFirst

[gaycarboys]

Ryan and Alan Drive the 2025 Corvette Stingray Convertible REVIEW

[pussyhoundspock]

my review of cobra kai so far is. season 1 GENIUS concept with the stupidest execution so it totally works + daniel gets to be a little evil (homosexual) before aggressively recloseting. season 2 so dull i dont think i can tell you a single plot point beyond 'school fight finale'. season 3 daniel la racist. really good. other than that complete flop almost got me to stop watching the show. season 4 GENIUS AGAIN i think they realized they actually don't have it in them to deal with the genuinely complex stuff set up in season 1 (everything w/ robby for example) so pivoted to exploring that time daniel got groomed which was a GREAT choice. silver actor EATS every time he is on screen. REALLY fun payoff of storylines i didn't think worked well (anthony & kenny, stingray, CHOZEN, literally anything with tory she was finally engaging as a character to me, same with hawk most enjoyable he's been since season 1) REALLY fun actors who KNOW the assignment (chozen, silver, kreese, etc), REALLY good lean in to the established canon anal metaphor from karate kid 3 (karate is gay sex, cobra kai is evil gay sex, miyagi do is conversion therapy). season 5 well we haven't finished yet. to be reviewed.